There are ever increasing concerns for petroleum exploration and development prospects across Sub-Saharan Africa arising from the dramatic falls in oil and gas prices since mid-June 2014. The primary supply-side reasons are the US shale oil and gas revolution, strong production from conflict regions such as Iraq and Libya, and OPECs November 2014 statement that they would not cut production.

Major oil and gas discoveries have opened new exploration plays in East Africa and offshore West Africa. Equally, ever-expanding energy requirements from domestic markets support the commercialization of these discoveries in Africa. Against this background, African governments want to ensure greater national participation in their upstream petroleum sector.

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry is venturing into new territory as it approaches an unprecedented wave of expansion. New projects in Western Canada, the US Gulf Coast and East Africa pose particular technical challenges, but more important are the non-technical challenges.

There have been numerous gas finds in Mozambique and Tanzania since 2010. In fact, finds in the Rovuma Basin have provided the operators of the gas projects enough incentive to develop LNG facilities in both countries.

The quest to increase the level of participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas sector of the economy did not start with the passage of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act (NOGICDA or the Act).